Telugu Desam Party president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu will be booked soon for violation of lockdown norms during his return from Hyderabad to Amaravati three days ago.
A direction to this effect was given by the state high court on Thursday. After hearing the arguments on a batch of petitions filed by several individuals, the court ruled that the petitioners lodge a complaint with the disaster management authorities.
Once the disaster management acknowledges the complaints, the state and the central governments could register the cases against Naidu for violating the lockdown norms.
The TDP chief was given rousing reception by TDP workers at several places, including Jaggayyapet, Nandigama and Kanchikacherla, where they assembled in huge numbers without following the social distancing norms and wearing masks.
Naidu also got down from his car and waved at them, even as they surrounded him without maintaining distance.
The petitioner charged that Naidu’s action amounted to encouraging violation of lockdown norms and hence, he deserved penal action.
Along with Naidu, eight other YSR Congress leaders would also be facing cases under the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897.
They include R K Roja, Vidadala Rajini, Biyyapu Madhusudhan Reddy, Venkat Goud, Sanjeevaiah, Vundavalli Sridevi, Malladi Vishnu and Vellampalli Srinivas.
The high court had already issued notices to these YSR Congress party MLAs who allegedly violated lockdown restrictions.
It even fumed at them for not respecting the law and sought to know why it cannot order a CBI probe into their violation of lockdown restrictions.
